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CMAP Weekly Update, 5-16-14

First Off...

CMAP Meetings. This week the MPO Policy Committee met on Monday and heard a presentation from the U.S. Department of Transportation on the findings of the certification review of the Metropolitan Planning Process. The final report is expected in the next month. The remainder of the agenda focused on the GO TO 2040 plan update, specifically the financial plan and the proposed major capital projects. The CMAP Board met on Wednesday and also discussed these items. Additionally, the Board approved the State Legislative Update and reviewed a draft of the Fiscal Year 2015 Work Plan and Budget. Final approval is expected in June. Prior to the Board meeting, the Local Coordinating Committee met and heard a presentation from City of Chicago staff on their plan to develop a framework for prioritizing LTA project requests in the City. Additionally, CMAP staff presented on Model Toolkits and Ordinances, the open call for LTA projects, and the LTA status update.

O'Hare subregional analysis. CMAP's new O'Hare Subregional Freight-Manufacturing Drill-Down Report assesses how local conditions support the subregion's freight and manufacturing cluster and describes opportunities to ensure its continued success. Building on our previous freight-manufacturing nexus analysis, the report outlines collaborative, multijurisdictional initiatives that can improve the competitiveness of the cluster, including workforce development, stormwater management, redevelopment planning, and better truck freight routing and infrastructure. Learn more in a Policy Update.

DUE TODAY: Municipal survey. Responses are due today for CMAP's biennial municipal survey of the region's 284 municipalities.

Staff progress report. The third quarter progress report (January through March) based on CMAP's work plan is now on-line.

Other News and Announcements

Soles and Spokes. We highlighted a report from the New York City Department of Transportation, "Making Safer Streets," which presents before-and-after comparisons of crash data where "smart and innovative" Complete Streets projects were implemented. We also featured an Open Streets Guide, which shares information about relevant initiatives in the U.S. and Canada.

Watershed meeting. CMAP is hosting its first in a series of meetings for the Boone-Dutch Creek Watershed, located in east-central McHenry County, on June 5 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus (Room 300A, 2710 S. Country Club Road, Woodstock). The Boone Creek Watershed Alliance previously developed a watershed protection and restoration strategy in 2003 for a portion of the planning area. The new planning effort will focus on protecting water and other natural resources in an expanded area. For more information, please contact Tim Loftus at (tloftus@cmap.illinois.gov).

Federal transportation reauthorization. On May 12, 2014, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee released the text of the MAP-21 Reauthorization Act, its six-year, $265 billion highway bill. The Senate EPW Committee's jurisdiction is restricted to the highway portion of the transportation bill leaving the transit and freight elements yet to be addressed by the Banking and Commerce Committees. The Senate EPW Committee marked up and voted to advance the bill on May 15.

Local Technical Assistance

On Monday, CMAP Board Chairman Mayor Gerald Bennett of Palos Hills hosted a dinner on the importance of local planning in the south suburbs as part of The Chicago Community Trust's On the Table program. We joined Blue Island Mayor Domingo Vargas in discussing implementation opportunities for his community's comprehensive plan.

Planning assistance and grants for local projects across metropolitan Chicago are now available through the RTA Community Planning Program and CMAP Local Technical Assistance Program at www.rtachicago.com/applications. Applications are due at noon on Thursday, June 26, 2014. An informational session will be held at CMAP (233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago) on Tuesday, June 3 at 9:00 a.m. To RSVP, contact Dan Olson (dolson@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8760). Join the conversation -- we will be tweeting related information using #CMAPLTA. Additionally, CMAP is cosponsoring GreenTown Chicago on May 21-22. Attendees can participate in an "LTA track" to learn about successful projects from around the region.

On Tuesday the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) held an open house for the proposed Red Line South Extension, where 200 attendees viewed 24 poster boards that outlined the proposed project and current timeline. A video, completed as part of the LTA program's livability project, was played throughout the meeting. CTA will continue to provide project updates through the Red Ahead website.

FLIP applications. Applications are available for the 2014-15 Future Leaders in Planning program. Participating high school students from throughout the region meet one Saturday per month to learn about issues that shape our region's economy and quality of life. Priority deadline applications must be postmarked or emailed by Friday, May 30, 2014. Contact Ricardo Lopez (rlopez@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8766).

Congestion pricing. Learn more about the regional effort to implement congestion pricing, with express toll lanes that will help manage traffic and give drivers better choices for getting around.